Encountering a Snake - Chapter 10

V2C10

The shadows of the courtyard trees overlapped, and the sound of wind echoing through the curved eaves and deep corridors made Ji Jiu feel like he had lost his mind. He had lost his mind—otherwise, why would he have saved Shen Jue? That was the child of a monster. Even if he believed Shen Jue was an orphan, or perhaps thought he was the adopted son of some other creature, it was not something he should have involved himself in. After all, Shen Jue had ties to monsters—this was an undeniable fact.

But the young man, who called him by his childhood nickname, was innocent, and Ji Jiu couldn’t muster any hatred toward him. So for so long, even knowing he was in league with the monster, Ji Jiu hadn’t exposed him. Instead, he kept him close, entrusted him with important tasks, and in private, felt that the way that young man looked at him was uncannily like the gaze of his own child—filled with dependence and reverence. Ji Jiu, often away from home, would think of his family, his young son and daughter. As a father, being unable to teach his children weighed on him. This guilt, he was willing to transfer onto this young man. Shen Jue was good, Ji Jiu thought. That’s why he didn’t want to harm him or implicate him.

The emperor’s fondness for men was no recent revelation. Ji Jiu hadn’t paid much attention to it before or had consciously avoided similar information. But now, for some reason, he finally faced it directly—his emperor, fond of men, enamored with beauty. In the rear palace, there was a secluded hall housing three to five beautiful young men, each with strikingly handsome and ethereal looks. Ji Jiu thought and thought, yet couldn’t understand why the emperor, who appreciated such delicate beauty, had taken an interest in the robust, masculine Shen Jue. It was just like how he himself, clearly devoid of any effeminate qualities, had been repeatedly harassed by that monster.

Expelled from the hall, Ji Jiu felt a restless irritation. Though he believed Shen Jue wouldn’t suffer any losses, he still worried about him acting recklessly and hurting the emperor—or worse, Shen Jue being caught in a vulnerable moment and taken advantage of. His heart churned like boiling oil, rising and falling, unable to find peace.

Finally, anger surged. Ji Jiu drew his sword and, with a fury, hacked at an innocent pine tree until its branches shattered and pine needles scattered across the ground.

The palace guards, frightened, stiffened their expressions, unsure how they had offended this famed general.

After some time, a young eunuch emerged timidly from the shadows and approached Ji Jiu, bowing slightly. “General.”

“What did you hear?” Ji Jiu asked.

“Replying to the general, it’s very quiet. No sound at all.”

Ji Jiu stood still for a while, then turned and left. No one dared follow him. As long as he didn’t intrude into the harem, no one in this imperial city dared to stop him.

Ji Jiu walked to a secluded spot, reached into his robe, hesitated briefly, and pulled out a red pearl from his chest. With a gruff voice, he said, “Come out.”

The red pearl shimmered briefly, and a figure appeared.

Yi Mo had not sought Ji Jiu for a month. After all, he had already given Ji Jiu what he wanted, and he wasn’t the kind to grovel and seek attention. When he realized Ji Jiu was looking for him, he showed himself and stood silently before him, waiting for Ji Jiu to speak.

Ji Jiu glanced at him briefly before quickly averting his gaze. “Shen Jue is in the emperor’s study.”

Yi Mo replied, “Hmm.”

“I don’t know how things are going now,” Ji Jiu added.

Yi Mo said, “Want to see?”

Ji Jiu hesitated before nodding.

Yi Mo grabbed his hand without concern for any resistance, holding tightly as he led him along the palace walls to a dried-up pond. “See for yourself,” he said.

Ji Jiu, disregarding everything else, leaned forward and gazed into the pond. The water rippled and then smoothed into a mirror-like surface, revealing figures in the emperor’s study: Shen Jue and the emperor. The emperor wore a smile, while Shen Jue appeared calm as ever. They sat facing each other, seemingly deep in conversation. Though the water’s reflection carried no sound, Ji Jiu felt relieved. The confrontation he feared hadn’t occurred. He counted himself lucky.

Ji Jiu steadied his nerves and exhaled halfway when the scene in the water suddenly shifted. The emperor stood up, approached Shen Jue, and reached out to touch his face. Ji Jiu held his breath, goosebumps prickling his skin as if he himself were the one being touched. On the other end, Shen Jue made his move, lifting a knee to sweep across the space. The emperor, trained in martial arts, fought back, and the two clashed fiercely. It was no mere sparring match—they were both clearly enraged. Ji Jiu stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

Then he saw Shen Jue transform into a wolf.

A magnificent wolf with glossy black fur, imposing and majestic. One charge sent the emperor sprawling to the ground. The black wolf pounced, claws pressing against the emperor’s throat, leaving red marks.

Yi Mo waved his sleeve, and the watery illusion vanished, returning the pond to its serene state. “Nothing to worry about,” he said coolly.

Ji Jiu snapped back to reality. “Nothing to worry about? This is your idea of nothing?”

“The emperor’s body is impervious to demons and evil. Shen Jue can’t harm him,” Yi Mo replied calmly. “And the emperor can’t harm Shen Jue, so there’s no problem.”

“Impervious to demons?” Ji Jiu frowned. “Then how could Shen Jue injure him?”

“Though Shen Jue is part demon, he’s also half-human,” Yi Mo explained. “He’s the child of a wolf mother and a mortal scholar. That’s why he can enter and leave the palace unimpeded. But harming the emperor is no easy feat.”

“What about you? Are you also half-human, half-demon?” Ji Jiu asked.

Yi Mo shook his head. “I’m pure demon. That’s why I brought you here. I can’t get any closer to the imperial palace.”

Ji Jiu remained silent for a moment before reluctantly responding with a quiet grunt of acknowledgment.

Yi Mo glanced at the sky. “It’s late. You should rest.”

Ji Jiu gave him a look, then turned and walked away.

After he left, Yi Mo reopened the water mirror to observe the fight between the two men. Despite the initial shock of seeing a wolf, the emperor, embodying the dignity of a ruler, quickly composed himself, even managing a smile and repeatedly saying, “Good.”

Shen Jue returned to human form, standing over him with an air of superiority. Neither yielded to the other, yet neither dared to underestimate their opponent.

Yi Mo clicked his tongue and dismissed the illusion with another wave of his sleeve, his thoughts unknown.

The emperor remained lying on the ground, staring at the sky. Then, for no apparent reason, he burst into laughter—a laughter so wild it bordered on madness.

Shen Jue crouched nearby, watching him laugh without a word.

After some time, when the emperor had laughed enough, he propped himself up and gazed at the young man before him. “What if I insist on having you?” he asked.

Shen Jue’s disdain was palpable. He didn’t even bother replying.

The emperor stood, adjusted his dragon robes, and said nonchalantly, “Tomorrow, I’ll summon Ji Jiu and appoint you the commander of my palace guard. Do you think he’ll agree?”

Shen Jue’s expression sharpened as he fixed his gaze on the emperor. “He won’t agree.”

“Are you sure?” the emperor asked.

“Absolutely.” Shen Jue’s tone was resolute, confident in his father’s protectiveness.

The emperor laughed. “Then let’s see.”

He stepped closer, brushing his lips against Shen Jue’s face. Shen Jue stood motionless, glaring at him with sharp eyes. The emperor kissed him lightly and said, “I’m the emperor. To you, I’m nothing more than a man. But Ji Jiu and his family are under my rule. Who do you think holds the advantage?”

“If you force him, I’ll kill you,” Shen Jue said flatly. “After your death, my father and I will support your young heir to the throne, and my father will still be the supreme commander of all the armies.”

The emperor’s face darkened. “You wouldn’t dare!”

Shen Jue smiled faintly, leaned in close to the emperor’s ear, and whispered, “If you dare to force him, why wouldn’t I dare to force you?”

He added, “I don’t mind men; I only mind despicable ones.” Pausing briefly, he stepped back and asked with a serious expression, “Are you despicable?”

The emperor snarled, “Insolence!”

Shen Jue sneered softly, straightened the overturned chair and desk, tidied up, and then saluted. “Your servant takes his leave.” With that, he turned and walked toward the door. Suddenly remembering something important, he turned back and said seriously, “Don’t covet my father—he already has someone.” Then he left, leaving the emperor alone to seethe.

Outside the palace gates, Shen Jue found Ji Jiu. The two exchanged looks for a moment before Ji Jiu asked, “How did it go?”

Shen Jue smiled faintly, his expression as pure as ever. “It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“My father once said, when dealing with a ruthless person, you just need to be more ruthless and press them down,” Shen Jue blinked. “The emperor is a good man.”

Ji Jiu was silent for a long while before cursing, “You only speak nonsense!” That matter passed just like that. But Ji Jiu couldn’t help but mutter inwardly—what kind of person taught this child such things!

Little did he expect that the one who shaped Shen Jue this way was none other than himself.

The next day, when Ji Jiu went to the palace to meet the emperor, he found that, as Shen Jue had said, nothing had happened, and he felt relieved. He realized that despite Shen Jue’s innocent smile, he wasn’t necessarily as naive as he seemed. The emperor had taken a blow the night before but didn’t mention it at all. Ji Jiu, too, was happy to play along and say nothing.

The two of them spoke for a while about military matters and set the date for their departure to scout the Xiongnu royal court—one month later, in October, during the golden autumn. Ji Jiu was to set out.

The emperor stood up and looked at the vast map, speaking quietly, “The day you return, it will be the day I send you ten thousand troops. If you wish to become a general whose deeds shine in history, I have already promised you all that I can do. The rest is up to you, Ji Jiu.”

Ji Jiu knelt down and bowed, saying, “Yes.”

“Ji Jiu,” the emperor said, looking at the man at his feet and pausing before speaking again, “If you die, I will not be ungrateful to you.”

“Your Majesty.” Ji Jiu smiled, his eyes bright, “If I must die, I will die; if I am not meant to die, I dare not die.”

“Good!” The emperor said. “Go, reunite with your wife and children.”

Ji Jiu responded, and as he left, the sunlight was dazzling, as brilliant as the smile on his face.

With a month of free time and nothing to do, Ji Jiu thought of matters related to his past life. When he had left in a hurry, he hadn’t had the chance to ask the two old soldiers from Yongcheng about certain things. Now, he would have to go through some trouble to ask, so he thought of the local county annals.

From some unknown era onward, the practice of compiling county annals had spread across the land. The local government would fund the project and hire scholarly men to document everything related to the county: from its geography and landscape to customs, folklore, and notable local gentry and scholars. Everything that happened in the jurisdiction, whether big or small, would be recorded for future generations to reference. This practice continued through the generations, with each new official reading the local annals at the start of their term. If they served for a while, they would invite scholars to add accounts of their time in office, which the next official would then continue.

Ji Jiu wrote a letter requesting the county annals from the magistrate of Yongcheng, and half a month later, they were sent back to him.

Soon, the county annals arrived at his estate. Ji Jiu chose an auspicious day, sat under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, and sipped the homemade flower tea as he began to read.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed, but on the twelfth day, he came upon a passage from over 150 years ago.

The annals mentioned a prominent Shen family, wealthy and respected, whose ancestors had been officials up to the third rank before moving into commerce and establishing shops everywhere. The thirteenth generation had two sons: the elder, Shen Qingxuan, and the younger, Shen Zhen. At eight years old, the elder fell into an ice cave and became paralyzed, living in seclusion in the mountains and encountering a demon.

The demon’s name was Imo, and little else was known about it. They became close, like a married couple. They adopted a child, born to a wolf mother, named Jue. Shen Qingxuan’s health improved, and he lived for another thirteen years before passing away. The demon, deeply loyal, carved an inscription on a monument, considering himself the widow.

Shen Qingxuan passed away, and fifty years later, Shen Zhen’s son spoke ill of the government and was imprisoned. His entire family was implicated and sentenced to death. One night, a strong wind swept through, setting the Shen residence ablaze, and no one survived. However, neighbors spoke of meeting Shen family descendants in the far south, saved by the demon Imo. The entire family of over a hundred people escaped and changed their names, and the Shen family line was extinguished.

Ji Jiu read and re-read that passage, staring at it until the light faded and the words became unreadable.

He rubbed his eyes, as if sand had entered, causing discomfort and pain. Lanterns were already lit along the courtyard path, and when Shen Jue came in, calling “Father,” Ji Jiu turned his face away.

A droplet of water, as he turned, fell with a soft ‘plop’ onto his wrist, exactly where the faint mark of a snake’s kiss lay.

Silent and unnoticed.